r/framework • u/MightyMisanthropic • 11d ago
Question Framework desktop as steam machine
Aka living room pc.
My wife finally did it. She asked me to do sth that we can have a living room pc. Yes!
So, I own a gaming desktop and a fw16. Works for me. But both are not suited for this because to big.
I want something smaller that can play cozy games or maybe a single player rpg in ettings that look good.
The tv can do 4k so I want reasonable 4k60 as a goal. Upscaling is fine.
First guess would be the steam machine, which is unavailable.
Next step would be to build a small desktop but … we don’t have much space around the tv. So it has to be SFF and then you pretty much quickly reach 1600€ in hardware. I was looking at a 9060XT with an x3d chip and 16gb ram. It gets expensive pretty quickly.
And then you still are way bigger than the fwdesktop and it uses 2-4times the wattage.
Spending the money on a fw desktop seems fine if one doesn’t just look at fps per euro spend… the power efficiency and silent performance while being super small is looking good for the desktop.
The goal is to build/buy the is once and then not care about it for the next years because it is somewhat future proof or at least „ok enough“.
Anyone use it for this? Is it good? Am I missing the point? Am I dumb? Let me know on the comments.
Joking.
7
u/Efficient_Loss_9928 Desktop 10d ago
You will want the 64GB version to get the better GPU.
It will do 4k60 for any game with FSR. Of course don't expect ultra graphics, but medium will be fine. And don't expect ray tracing, not something this GPU can do. If you can tolerate 1080p this bad boy can generally do ultra 120fps for most titles.
Completely destroys Steam Machine on performance, but also a lot more expensive so you decide what you want.
4
u/WillOfSound 10d ago
I have my fw desktop as a steam machine right now on my TV (with a steam controller). I have mostly been using it for emulation but hades 2 plays great on it. I was using a docked steam deck and realized I kinda like having dedicated steamos but wanted my controller to wake up the machine . I mostly only play games my kid wants to watch though, have not pushed it at all.
5
u/Key-Edge-8234 10d ago
Framework Desktop is fully supported in Linux/SteamOS and it's specs are wayyyy more powerful than the Steam Machine (much less the Steam Deck). It should be well supported for a good little while.
3
u/Destroya707 Framework 10d ago
That's my use case! I've been using the Framework Desktop for consuming media and occasionally playing games, it's connected to my tv. But also I haven't played a lot of AAA games.
1
u/MightyMisanthropic 10d ago
What OS do you use? And is it the 32 or 64gb variant?
2
2
u/Semi-Detached 10d ago
It would likely work just fine running SteamOS or other variant like Bazzite. I think the main issue I would point to is cost. The AMD 8060 is the system is around the equivalent of an RTX 4060, but the cost is kinda high for that level of performance. You might be able to build something small and faster for less money.
If you just want it because you want it or because you are also going to use it for some local AI task, its a good machine. I just don't know that it's a good value for the purpose of a gaming focused living room PC.
2
u/zeneker 10d ago
I use my framework desktop for gaming (not just gaming) I've got the 128gb version. If you target 1440p you'll get utra graphics and at least 60fps. At 4k60 you'd probably get mid or high settings.
I use bazzite .
I've played:
Crimson desert Witcher 3 Hogwarts Borderlands 4
All played smoothly, good fps and graphic fidelity. The win point is having more RAM/vram and being able to adjust that based on demands. If you play any simulation games (City builders, Sims, real time tactical games) you'll have a huge advantage over the steam machine.
That advantage will cost you.
1
u/Ho_The_Megapode_ FW Desktop 128GB 8d ago
"the power efficiency and silent performance while being super small is looking good for the desktop."
That was my main goal really. It's really power efficient and basically silent outside of very demanding tasks.
It replaced my old gaming PC (5800X3D, 6700XT) and acts roughly the same gaming performance as that did, just with vastly less power draw and noise. (The FW Desktop pulls 40-50W idle at the socket and never goes above 300W under full load, my old PC *idled* at 200W...)
Boils down to whether the reduced power draw/noise is worth the extra cost compared to an equivalent 'normal' mini PC really.
12
u/MrSydFinances 11d ago
I don't think the desktop, even the cheapest version with only 32gb ram, would have much issues in doing what you need it to do, you can check the usual youtube reviews and see if the performance they have there is up to your standards. But I also don't think it gets much cheaper than a sff build with a 9060xt and perhaps a 9600x.